Edexcel A-Level German (9GN0) · Grammar backbone 10 of 10 — Relative clauses, essay & translation technique
A-Level Grammar
Relative clauses & technique
This final backbone lesson does two jobs: it builds the relative clause — the single best way to write longer, more sophisticated German — and it sharpens your essay register and translation technique for both papers of the exam.
Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Onkel.gender from the noun (der Mann); case from the role in the clause (subject → der)
Work through each screen and answer the questions. Collect ⭐ and press Start.
Relative pronouns
Gender from the noun, case from the role
A relative pronoun takes its gender and number from the noun it refers back to, but its case from the job it does inside the relative clause. The verb goes to the end, and the clause is fenced off with commas:
Der Mann, der dort steht … — subject → nominative.
Der Mann, den ich sehe … — object → accusative.
Der Mann, dem ich helfe … — helfen + dative.
Der Mann, dessen Auto rot ist … — possession → genitive.
Two steps every time: (1) which noun? → fixes gender/number; (2) what does the pronoun do in the clause? → fixes the case.
The full grid
der, den, dem, dessen … denen, deren
Almost identical to the definite article — except the genitive (all) and the dative plural:
case
masc.
fem.
neut.
plural
Nom
der
die
das
die
Akk
den
die
das
die
Dat
dem
der
dem
denen
Gen
dessen
deren
dessen
deren
The two forms to memorise: dative plural denen (not den) and the genitives dessen / deren — these are where marks are won and lost.
Quick check
Subject of the clause
?Complete: Der Mann, ___ dort steht, ist mein Onkel. ("The man who is standing there…")
Quick check
Object of the clause
?Complete: Der Film, ___ ich gesehen habe, war gut. ("The film that I saw…")
Quick check
Dative plural
?Complete: Die Kinder, ___ ich helfe, sind sehr nett. ("The children whom I help…")
Type it
Your turn — genitive relative
1Complete: Der Mann, ___ Auto rot ist, wohnt hier. ("The man whose car is red…" — masc.)
Hint: "whose" = genitive; masculine/neuter → one word ending in -ssen.
Type it
Your turn — dative plural
2Complete: die Freunde, mit ___ ich reise ("the friends with whom I travel" — dative plural).
Hint: mit + dative, plural → the special form (not den).
was, wo & prepositions
Beyond der/die/das
Three refinements complete the system:
was — after alles, etwas, nichts, das, vieles or referring to a whole clause: Alles, was er sagt, ist wahr.
wo — for places: Die Stadt, wo ich wohne (or in der ich wohne).
Preposition + pronoun: the preposition sets the case — Der Freund, mit dem ich spreche; Das Haus, in dem ich wohne.
Word order stays firm: whatever opens the relative clause, the finite verb still lands at the very end.
Quick check
was or das?
?Complete: Alles, ___ er sagt, ist wahr. ("Everything (that) he says is true.")
Type it
Your turn — preposition + relative
3Complete: Das Haus, in ___ ich wohne, ist alt. ("The house in which I live…" — das Haus, dative after in.)
Hint: in for location = dative; neuter das Haus → dem.
Sort it
Pick the relative pronoun
Essay register
Connectors & nominalisation
To lift an essay into the top band, deploy discourse markers and noun-heavy phrasing:
Connectors:jedoch (however), dennoch / trotzdem (nevertheless), außerdem (moreover), einerseits … andererseits (on the one hand … on the other), zusammenfassend (in summary).
Stance:meiner Meinung nach, es lässt sich argumentieren, dass …, es ist unbestreitbar, dass …
Nominalisation: prefer die Entwicklung, die Auswirkung, die Zunahme over long verb strings — it reads as more academic.
Remember the syntax:jedoch and trotzdem take normal V2/inversion, while obwohl is subordinating (verb to the end).
Translation traps
English → German pitfalls
The translation questions reward accuracy on a handful of recurring traps:
Word order: keep the finite verb in position 2 in main clauses and at the end after weil/dass/obwohl.
Separable verbs: split them in main clauses (Ich rufe dich an).
Tense mapping: English present perfect with "since/for" → German present + seit (Ich wohne seit drei Jahren hier).
False friends: see the next screen — aktuell, bekommen, also, Gift.
Method: translate the meaning, not word-for-word; identify the verb and its position first, then slot the rest around it.
False friends
Words that lie
German
looks like
actually means
aktuell
actual
current, topical
bekommen
become
to receive, get
also
also
so, therefore
eventuell
eventually
possibly, perhaps
sensibel
sensible
sensitive
das Gift
gift
poison
To become = werden; also (as well) = auch; actual = eigentlich / tatsächlich.
Quick check
A false friend
?What does the German verb bekommen mean in English?
Type it
Your turn — a full relative clause
4Translate "The man who is standing there" into German (der Mann, stehen, dort).
Hint: subject relative → der; the verb steht goes to the end.
Type it
Your turn — avoid the false friend
5Translate "I am becoming a teacher" into German (Lehrer). Beware the false friend!
Hint: "to become" = werden, not bekommen; no article before an unmodified profession.
Sort it
False friend or safe cognate?
Sort each German word by whether it means what an English speaker expects.
False friend (careful!)
True cognate (safe)
Game · Match
Match the context to its relative pronoun
Tap a context on the left, then the correct relative pronoun on the right.
CONTEXT
Nom. masc.
Akk. masc.
Dat. masc.
Gen. masc.
Dat. plural
Gen. plural
PRONOUN
dessen
der
deren
den
denen
dem
Recap
Your relative-clause & technique toolkit
Relative pronouns: gender/number from the noun, case from the role; verb to the end.
Special forms: dative plural denen; genitives dessen / deren.
was / wo / prep + pronoun:alles, was …; die Stadt, wo …; mit dem, in dem.